I walk through the calli of Venice in search of no. 1320 at S. Croce ...
I wait for my friend Virginie with whom I have an appointment to visit a magical place: the ancient Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua.
We are greeted by Mr.Alberto Bevilacqua, owner and ancestor of Luigi who in the mid-1800 opened a new fabric manufacturing in the ancient silk school of the Serenissima, which a Napoleonic decree had closed as all the corporate craftsmen of Venice.
A tradition that seemed to be lost was instead saved by Luigi who recovered old frames for the school, as we see them today.
Entering this palace overlooking the Grand Canal is like going back three centuries. Passing through a wrought iron gateway, we go over to a room where a huge wooden warp stands, a machine that prepares the charge before loading it on the chassis. The spaces are full of shelves and objects. Some girls hold a series of threads of a bright red color with their fingers, reminding me of the movement of the hands of harp players. We walk through a narrow, long corridor with a wooden cherry wood frame that in intricate game of wires, perforated boards and reels produce pieces of lovely fabric.
An ancient Venice tradition is carried on here, with roots dating back to the fourteenth century, which is that of hand-woven velvet, silk or cotton.
To produce them, you must start with a millimeter paper drawing that contains all the information you need to drill cardboard cards for the Jacquard machine.
Each hole corresponds to one wire and each board represents half a millimeter of the drawing to be made.
More than 3500 drawings have been preserved in the archive, a true journey from Medieval times to Deco.
At the same time, it is necessary to proceed with the preparation of the frame, which can take up to six months and hand knotting 16,000 threads.
The "cantra" where the ropes of silk threads, which give color and design, are in the frame 1600; coils that translate into 6000/7000 wires strictly hand-tied in a long work of preparation. The frames are all different and require to be continually reworked and adjusted. Each frame is combined with a weaver, following a tradition of a very difficult work handed down after a long period of training.
Processing is extremely slow, as they produce a few decimeters per day, but absolutely unique in the world.
In a market where the monopoly is Chinese, the silk thread is instead of Italian production .
The most prestigious and most complex velvet to be realized is called "sopra-rizzo".
Typically Venetian velvet boasts two types of textured hair: a curly and a cut.
The curly velvet reflects the light resulting clearer, while the cut with the blade called "trevette" is higher, it is called sopra-riccio and its absorption is darker.
A series of photos hung at the entrance tells stories of international Expo, which is how the company introduces itself to the world at the start of the twentieth century. Then, in the 1930s, began the era of large orders such as the "Salone Colonna" of the transatlantic Conte of Savoy, then bombarded, or the curtains of the "La Fenice" theater, destroyed in the fire of 1996. Numerous residences and private houses in North America, velvets for the airline "Lettoria" (later Alitalia) or for the "Gothenburg Theater" in Sweden.
In the 1950s it opened its doors to the ecclesiastical world by decorating the papal office and numerous churches, with valuable examples such as the overlay velvet covering made of genuine gold and silver threads in the Basilica della Salute in Venice.
the yellow ivory velvet made for the "White House" in Washington was a special commission.
In the same years, Roberta di Camerino uses Bevilacqua velvet for Bagonchi bag, also bought by Grace Kelly.
A brocade is woven with gold and silver threads, the richest heir, called "Lampasso" with twelve colors, for Queen Luisa of Sweden’s robe , used later for the furnishings of the "Royal Palace" in Kuwait.
Poduction continues with dozens of damask and brocade for Palaces in Venice, Rome, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Obviously, in order to meet the demands of the world market, Bevilacqua has had to accompany a high-level mechanical production of velvet, lampassi and brocade, which together with hand-made fabrics are a remarkable product line, always customizable.
High fashion continues its collaboration, just think of some fashion shows from Dolce and Gabbana, a historic customer of the company.
We sit in the office overlooking the Grand Canal. It is wonderful for us to be here. My eyes do not stop running from corner to side of the room, stuffed with cloths, books, paintings and awards.
The extreme kindness of Mr. Alberto Bevilacqua has opened us to an unimaginable world, out of time, bringing us into the art of ancient Venetian crafts.
Artwork masterpieces for the furnishings and fashion that speak of a heritage of inestimable magnificence.
Virginie and I bid our farewell with grateful hearts and happiness because a piece of ancient art history is safe and continues going on not minding the hectic rhythms of out time.
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